New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 3:11
11Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
- New International Version (NIV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Context of Ecclesiastes 3:11
9What do people really get for all their hard work? 10I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 3Ecclesiastes 3:11 word by word
אֶת־הַכֹּ֥ל עָשָׂ֖ה יָפֶ֣ה בְעִתּ֑וֹ גַּ֤ם אֶת־הָעֹלָם֙ נָתַ֣ן בְּלִבָּ֔ם מִבְּלִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יִמְצָ֣א הָאָדָ֗ם אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מֵרֹ֥אשׁ וְעַד־סֽוֹף׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- He hath madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- beautifulיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- in his timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- also he hath setנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- the worldעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
- in their heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- so thatבְּלִיbelîy · withoutH1097
- no manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- can find outמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
- that Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- makethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- from the beginningרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: firstH7218
- to the endסוֹףsôph · endH5490
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:11
- Ecclesiastes 7:29But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
- Genesis 1:31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
- Deuteronomy 32:4He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!
- Mark 7:37They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
- Matthew 13:22The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
- Romans 1:19They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
- Job 11:7“Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
- Job 37:23We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us.
- Psalms 104:24O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
- Matthew 11:27“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
- Romans 11:33Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Beautiful in his time - God's works are well done; there are order, harmony, and beauty in them all. Even the caterpillar is a finished beauty in all the changes through which it passes, when its structure is properly examined, and the ends kept in view in which each change is to issue. Nothing of this kind can be said of the works of man. The most finished works of art are bungling jobs, when compared with the meanest operation of nature. He hath set the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Rather, He hath made all (the travail, Ecclesiastes 3:10) beautiful (fit, in harmony with the whole work of God) in its time; also He hath set eternity in their heart (i. e., the heart of the sons of men, Ecclesiastes 3:10). The word, translated “world” in the text, and “eternity” in this note, is used seven times in Ecclesiastes. The interpretation “eternity,” is conceived in the sense of a long indefinite period of time, in accordance with the use of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-15Verses 11-15 Every thing is as God made it; not as it appears to us. We have the world so much in our hearts, are so taken up with thoughts and cares of worldly things, that we have neither time nor spirit to see God's hand in them. The world has not only gained possession of the heart, but has formed thoughts against the beauty of God's works. We mistake if we think we were born for ourselves; no, it is our business to do good in this life, which is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time: We can sometimes see this beauty in our work and the world. However, many people cannot see it. God keeps the understanding of how everything fits together for himself (see Romans 8:22–28). God has planted eternity, an awareness of the infinite, within each of us. This is enough for us to be in awe of him who is infinite and eternal, and enough to hope for eternal life after death.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. his time--that is, in its proper season (Psa 1:3), opposed to worldlings putting earthly pursuits out of their proper time and place (see on Ec 3:9). set the world in their heart--given them capacities to understand the world of nature as reflecting God's wisdom in its beautiful order and times (Ro 1:19, 20). "Everything" answers to "world," in the parallelism. so that--that is, but in such a manner that man only sees a portion, not the whole "from…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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